


Hollowed Hearts

by secretsofthesky



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Halloween, Infertility, Pumpkin carving, married bughead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-08-04 05:59:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16341128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretsofthesky/pseuds/secretsofthesky
Summary: Betty and Jughead have a pumpkin carving contest.





	Hollowed Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> TRIGGER WARNING - Please read tags.
> 
> This started as a drabble for the Bughead Halloween event but it took a different turn and became heavier than expected so I'm going to do a different one for the event and figured I'd share this one separately. 
> 
> Also, I'm horrible at titles. Not even sure if this one makes sense. Thanks for clicking anyways lol.

* * *

 

Jughead Jones hated holidays.

 

It was a fact that as you get older, holidays become less exciting, the thrill of them fading away as the realities of the world snuffed out their magic. His happiness for them faded faster than most kids when he was forced to grow up far too quickly.

 

Holiday’s had never been anything special for him. They were just another day on the calendar.

 

He was okay with that.

 

He never thought his indifference would turn to hatred though.

 

Being married to Betty Cooper was like having every wish he’d ever made granted and then some. They had fallen in love in high school and been through more in those early years than most people go through in a lifetime, always somehow coming out stronger. Their relationship strengthened even more through college, the starts of their careers, and now as their seventh year of marriage approached, he was more in love with her than ever. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to make her happy and would give her the world if it was within his power to do so.

 

It was this reason why he’d come to dread the holidays.

 

He hated seeing those gorgeous green eyes dim, even for just a few days a year, and being absolutely powerless to do anything about it.

 

It had been six years since they’d started trying, and five months since they’d stopped. They’d gone into it like any newly married couple wanting to start a family, not thinking for a second that it wouldn’t happen for them because, why wouldn’t it?

 

They’d waited a year before seeing a doctor, and then another of trying the small suggestions they were given. Tracking dates on calendars, changing their diets, spontaneous love making turned to scheduled rendezvous. But they didn’t mind, they’d do whatever it took because they both knew they wanted a family, they wanted to be parents.

 

When the changes they made themselves didn’t work, they looked at other options. Specialist after specialist and more tests than they could count, but still, nothing.

 

Too many hormone shots and three failed IVF attempts later, they had decided to take a break.

 

_“Maybe we just need to stop trying for a while. Isn’t that what they say? It’ll happen when you’re not trying?”_

 

Her voice had broken, even as she said the words that she hated to hear from others.

 

They had stopped though. No more calendars, apps, and schedules. No more medications and injections. No more getting their hopes up every month just to be let down.

 

It was tough, realizing that something you took for granted as a definite thing may never happen. But they were getting through. At the end of the day, there was always the option of adoption, they had each other and so many other things to be thankful for, and because of that, most days weren’t so bad.

 

Holidays though? Holidays were always a painful reminder of what they _didn’t_ have.

 

Even though she never actually said it, he knew that’s why Betty always went above and beyond every year. Christmas brunch and Easter dinner with everyone they knew invited, turning their home into a horror house for trick or treaters and throwing together extravagant egg hunts for their friends children. The decorating and events kept her busy and helped her ignore how quiet the house was on holiday mornings without hearing kids excited chatter downstairs as they patiently awaited the time to open their gifts. Planning these things helped her forget for a while, and he would support just about any silly or extravagant thing she came up with just to help her achieve that peace of mind.

 

So when his wife had text him telling him she’d planned a pumpkin carving contest and a night of other Halloween games for them, since their new home was too far away from town for them to get any trick or treaters, he knew it was her way of helping them both forget the fact that they were the only ones of their friends not out taking a kid around to houses for candy.

 

He’d stopped and grabbed a bouquet of sunflowers, a box of chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of her favorite wine on his way home, focused on giving her an amazing night, even as his own heart began to ache as he stopped at a crosswalk, waving on the mob of kids racing to the houses across the street followed by a group of parents taking a pictures and laughing amongst themselves.

 

God, he hated holidays.

 

He pulled into the driveway and a small smile graced his lips as he took in the decorations covering the porch. His promotion at work had them relocating a counties over and they were still in the process of unpacking, but apparently Betty had been hard at work all day because the front of their home was now covered in black and orange, fully decked out even for just one day.

 

He should have called into work. He should have spent the day with her and done his best to keep her mind elsewhere.  

 

Taking a steadying breath and pushing away any negative thoughts, he exited his car and made his way into their home.

 

His lips curved up when the smell of baked cinnamon apples hit him, his favorite, and his smile turned into a full fledged grin when he spotted his wife bent over, taking them out of the oven.

 

“Two of my favorite desserts.”

 

Betty stood up, setting the pan on the stove and glancing over her shoulder, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What are you…” she stopped when Jughead wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her and a giggle escaped her lips.

 

“Hello, Mrs Jones.” Jughead greeted as she walked up to him, lifting her lips for a kiss and wrapped her arms around his waist as his hands found her cheeks. They’d been married for years and yet coming home and seeing her every day still had his heart thudding uncontrollably in his chest. How did he get so lucky?

 

“Mr Jones,” Betty smiled against his lips before clearing her throat and turning away.

 

Jughead narrowed his eyes, confused by her reaction but knew it was probably the day.

 

Damn holidays.

 

She’d made his favorite meal, and Jughead had taken his time, savoring every bite. Betty on the other hand, ate dinner faster than usual, seemingly unable to sit still and before he could even finish his plate, she was up and doing dishes to keep herself occupied.

 

He’s devoured the rest of his quickly then, passing on seconds even though he was still hungry, and brought his plate to the kitchen. Setting it down on the counter with the rest of the dirty dishes, he walked up to her at the sink, his arms wrapping around her, hugging her from behind.

 

His lips found the warmth of her neck, laying a soft kiss there. “I love you, Betty.”

 

Her voice shook when she replied. “I love _you_ , Juggie.”

 

He reached forward and took the plate she was rinsing from her hands, setting it down before moving his hands to her hips and turning to him. “How about,” he whispered, laying a kiss on her forehead and then another on her cheek before meeting her lips. “We head upstairs. I draw us a bath, pour us some wine, and we do some relaxing?”

 

Betty’s breath hitched when he found her ear and her hips bucked into his, a breathy chuckle leaving her lips before she slid out from under him and grabbed a rag to dry her hands. “We can’t do that,” she told him, her eyes not meeting his. “We still have pumpkins to carve, remember?”

 

Jughead bit his lip, wanting to let her know they didn’t have to do this, that he was more than happy to distract her in other ways, but she was holding up a finger and sending him a look before he could.

 

“Don’t try and get out of it just because you know you’re going to lose.”

 

He threw his head back with a laugh, loving the teasing that was in her eyes and willing to do anything to make it stay.

 

“Is that so? You think you’re going to finally overthrow the pumpkin carving champion?”

 

Betty bit back her grin. “So cocky. I definitely have this one in the bag.” she told him before grabbing the carving kit and a bowl and heading out to their back porch where two pumpkins sat on their patio table.

 

Maybe he’d let her have this one if it meant that smile wouldn’t leave her face.

 

“Game on, baby.”

 

An hour later, hands sticky from pumpkin guts and sore knuckles from using the small carving knife later, Jughead started slicing the last piece of his Jack-o-Lantern’s face, eyeing his wife over the top of his pumpkin.

 

She’d been quiet most of the time. She’d laughed at the jokes he’d made, cursed him when he shot seeds at her to try to get them to land in her cleavage and had appeased him with a few stolen kisses over the table… but she’d been quiet. Painfully so. A few times, he had caught her watching him but she’d quickly glanced away when he’d lifted his eyes and met hers.

 

He wished the day was over already.

 

“I have to grab one thing,” Betty told him, standing up from her chair and walking over to their screen door that led into the house. She shot him a look over his shoulder. “No peeking.”

 

Jughead just winked at her and then laughed when she’d emerged carrying a smaller pumpkin. “I see. You’re going with the small scared pumpkin inside the larger pumpkins mouth idea I won with two years ago?” he tsked dramatically. “Not very original Betts.”

 

Betty just rolled her eyes, moving the smaller pumpkin to the large one and then taking a deep breath. “You go first.”

 

Jughead spun his pumpkin around and Betty laughed at his simple carved face. “You threw this didn’t you? Didn’t think I could win on my own?”

 

Jughead smirked, shrugging. “Your turn.”

 

Betty didn’t turn it right away, her hands were stilled on the sides of it as if she were building up her courage to do so but when she did, and Jughead took in what she carved, he couldn’t breathe.

 

A heart. A large heart had been carved into her pumpkin, and sitting inside the hollowed out shell was the smaller pumpkin.

 

**Baby Jones**

**April, 2019**

 

He couldn’t look away, even as his vision went blurry and he could not longer make out the words.

 

“Jug,” her sweet voice had his eyes dragging to hers in disbelief as she watched him.

 

“How?”

 

Tears made their way down her cheeks, but a smile, a smile like he’d never seen before was spread over her face. “I don’t know. I didn’t… I didn’t believe it at first. I took so many tests and then waited to confirm it at the doctor before I let myself believe. I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure. I didn’t want you to be let down again, but it’s real. We’re going to have a baby.”

 

Her voice was choked, but happy laughter bubbled out as she finished her sentence and in a moment, he was out of his chair and had her in his arms, lifting her and holding her as close as he could. “Tell me I’m not dreaming.” His voice was strange to his ears, his words strangled with emotion.

 

Her arms wrapped around his neck, hugged him to her. “No Juggie, you’re not dreaming.” Betty wrapped her legs around him when his hands moved to her hips. His eyes found hers as her hands framed his cheeks, gently wiping at the tears there. “You’re going to be a daddy.”

 

“We’re having a baby.” His words were full of disbelief before he kissed her, spinning her around. “We’re having a baby!” he yelled to the sky and Betty laughed, clutching him close before he gently set her down and immediately dropped to his knees, placing his hands on either side of her stomach. His eyes lifted to meet her green ones, seeing so much happiness, so much joy.

 

Lifting her shirt, he ran his hands along the smooth skin there, the thought that a baby, _their_ _baby_ , would be growing there had a new wave of tears falling on their own accord and he rested his forehead against her, laying a gentle kiss against her skin as Betty’s hands threaded through his hair and hugged him close.

 

Jughead Jones thought it would take a miracle to ever make him like holidays.

 

And he’d been right. It took a miracle.

 

Their little miracle.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading <3  
> Find me on tumblr: [secretsofthesky](http://www.secretsofthesky.tumblr.com)


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